Asters and Morning Glories
by Otaku Samurai
Summary: He gave her a simple present, just two little flowers: an Aster, and a Morning Glory. Each little blossom sent out its own meaning, its own implication, and she captured each sincere message deep inside her heart. Happy birthday, Inoue-san. //IshiHime//


**Dude. I was reaching a deadline for this fic idea, and there wasn't going to be any _freaking way _that I was going to wait to post this until next year. Good thing I got random inspiration during my AP English class yesterday (ahaha, when I was suppose to be paying attention). Anyway,** I do not own Bleach**. Though, I'd _really_ like to own Ishida-kun, but hey, that's a whole other story in itself :P**

* * *

Even though it was the eve of the brisk autumn season, the sky was a deep cerulean blue, and pillows of fluffy white clouds crowded the sky in a bunched wispy fervor. She smiled on her merry way to school, happily bounding along as she hummed a playful tune, dreamily soaking in the yellow sun and her peaceful surroundings. She even laughed a little to herself as a little blue bird carelessly flew overhead.

Today was the third of September, a Thursday—and it was Orihime's birthday.

Heartily skipping past a tree—one in which, she instantly deemed as "lonely" as she glided by—she stopped, twisted around, and friendly patted the rough bark with a compassionate, lighthearted smile.

"Hello, there, Tree-san, it is such a nice day, so don't be sad! Nothing can go wrong, and all is well—today is my birthday! Oh, don't cry, Tree-san, it will be your birthday today, too! Now we can celebrate it together! But, you'll have to wait until later, because I have to go to school."

Patting the coarse bark exterior once more, she grinned at the tree, which she now deemed "un-lonely", and then continued on her happy way towards education, constantly making random stops and turns at other inanimate objects, until she finally got to her main destination.

* * *

Upon entering the classroom, she was literally mobbed and flooded with classmates. Gifts were thrown and handed to her, all the while shouts of "happy birthday" could be heard from every corner of the room. She didn't care for popularity—and truthfully she never did—but knowing the feeling that most of her peers cared enough to acknowledge her special day made her smile. It was a nice feeling being cared for—_loved_, even—by so many people.

After most of the commotion was over, the class returned back to normal (as if anything was ever _normal_) and Orihime gathered around with her friends—Tatsuki, Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu and Chad—over at their usual corner of the classroom. There, they all individually gave their gifts to her, in the comforts of their own personal spaces, and not in a frenzy like all of the other students.

Ichigo's present was a gift certificate to an expensive clothing boutique, a gift that his little sisters helped him pick out, since he ultimately failed at giving gifts that were actually _likeable_. And so, he just resorted to the quick and easy, but without losing the sentimentalities—he tossed her the little rectangular card with a grin. Tatsuki in turn gave her a bottle of "concentration pills"—which were just little round, pill-like mints that were in an imitation orange prescription bottle that even said her name in small type (she had already planned a surprise party with everybody else, but that was a secret). Next, Chad gave her a nice little Hallmark-esque card with about fifty dollars in it, and Rukia even drew her a picture and card (Orihime thought it was a hybrid of a platypus, a moose, rainbow trout, and a garden hose, though later she discovered that it was suppose to be a little duck wearing a scarf). Yet despite all of these gifts, she refrained from vanities—she wasn't that type of person, after all.

As it was Uryu's turn to present her his gift, he seemingly came up empty-handed. But, he had a good explanation as to why.

"I'm sorry Inoue-san, I don't have it with me at this precise moment, but I can give it to you after school, if that is fine by you."

She told him that he didn't honestly have to give her anything and go out of his way—his very friendship was enough—but she couldn't help but wonder what it was as he denied her request. No, she wasn't ever vain—she was just overly curious.

"That's alright, Ishida-kun! I'll be waiting, and you better not forget!" She kidded with him, and his cheeks flushed a small shade of pink. Before he could comment any further, Ms. Ochi walked into the classroom, and the day's lesson began.

She stayed in her state of anticipation until the final bell rang for school to be over.

* * *

Uryu told her to meet her out at the front steps of the school building, and she headed for that direction. Finally, after torturous moments of pushing and shoving in the crowded halls, she arrived at her destination, and patiently waited for him. Orihime was carrying three heavy bag fulls of presents, and fully exasperated, she valued the time of rest as she set them down near the school building's steps. But, after a few long minutes she found herself getting discouraged—ten minutes already passed—since when was Ishida Uryu, of all people, ever late to anything? Whatever he was going to give her must have been _huge_, or _heavy_, or just overall _hard _to handle...

Or maybe he just forgot?

_Haha, yeah, like _that _would ever happen!_

He never forgot anything! He was pretty much a genius!

She half expected him to walk up with knitted sweater or something of the sort, like socks—a personal gift that he had made himself, a bundle of soft material that he created with just his hands and skill. Orihime wouldn't have objected to it—it was starting to get cold as the days dragged on into the rainy seasons. A sweater would have been nice. Some socks would have been nicer.

But, her insecurities vanished as soon she caught sight of him, walking out of the school building, with a little bundle, wrapped in a glossy white tissue paper, in his hands. Instantly, her eyes locked sight with two, small, but bright, _flowers_.

Uryu made his way over to her, with a little blush on his face as his glasses shined in the sun. A breeze started to pick up, and locks of his shiny black hair brushed slightly on his face, dancing along with the wind.

"These are for you, Inoue-san." He gingerly handed her his gift, speaking softly, "The bright pink one is a Morning Glory, and the mauve one is an Aster. I came across them the other day—they're both your birth flowers."

Her gray eyes stared at the beauty of the two lovely blossoms. Each had their own charmed appeal—the Aster was a deep dull purplish-tinted color, with a deeper, more bright purple emanating from the center of the petals. The flower in itself was vivacious and bouncy, with its petals strong and enduring—it was starlike, _star-shaped_, and utterly beautiful. Its lush texture emphasized the wildflower hues of the flower's personality, and she was captivated by the mere detail—she moved on to the other beauty—her Morning Glory.

It was the brightest of pinks, with small tints of a deep purple in its simple, round pretty petals. It was so fragile and so unlike the other flower in her hands—the comparison took her slightly aback with a mix of joy and blithe surprise. Orihime softly stroked the delicately velvet saucer-shaped pink petals—a meek beauty in its own right since it was subtle, and not as flamboyant as the opposite flower, but still upheld a sense of its own passionate glory. As she kept examining her simple gift, he bashfully continued on.

"Yes, that one, the Morning Glory—it's suppose to bring vibrance and awareness. As well, the Aster means love, faith, and wisdom, while symbolizing valor. I thought this rather appropriate, since I think all of these traits in both flowers completely reflect your personality."

Hearing his tender words, she looked up into his dark navy blue eyes, and smiled wholeheartedly—he returned her smile with a shy one of his own. It all but melted her heart to see him so sincere.

"Ishida-kun, they're beautiful—I...I can't even _explain _how beautiful they are. Thank you, I love them!"

"I apologize that you had to wait all day, but they had to be preserved out of the heat. Albeit, I like them both, but I have to say that I like the Aster a little more," he cleared his throat, and glanced away sheepishly, "only because it is said to have a special connection with the Chrysanthemum, which is my own birth flower."

Inconspicuously, Uryu then glanced mysteriously down at her with a gulp. He had wanted to tell her more about the Aster—about its secret Victorian message _"take care of yourself for me"_, and to tell her how a lover would give an Aster to their significant other as a form of undying love. But no, his backbone wasn't with him. He'd have to be content with his secret meanings, his _own _subtly, until the right time came to him. Yet, he was already content—just because such simplicity brought her so much joy; he could see it in her gray eyes, and it joyed him endlessly.

He nimbly stood there, at his full height—almost awkwardly. He was nervous! Orihime laughed softly to herself at his earnestness. Uryu was always so shy when he talked to her, though when there was danger or whatnot, he did seem, rather, knightly and courtly with her. But, as they shared moments of conversation, or even small intimate moments like this one, he was so bashful! But, Orihime always did love talking to him. And it seemed true—much like the Aster and Chrysanthemum, both Uryu and Orihime had this unexplainable connection.

Things came so naturally when she was with him—he accepted her, and she didn't have to work for the gratitude of acceptance. Uryu just openly gave it to her.

She softly smiled.

Of all of her gifts, Uryu's was her favorite one—much better then a sweater, or even her silly sock idea. She knew that his gift came fully from the depths of his heart, and that was the most wonderful gift of all. She wasn't conceited about her birthday—in fact, she would have liked it better if _nobody _gave any gifts at all, but she couldn't help but beam at the two small, delicate beauties in her hands. The Morning Glory and the Aster. Her birth flowers—and his silent care for her.

Orihime didn't know how to correctly thank him for the gift. Though she already said thank you, it still didn't seem as appropriate as it should have been. His gift had a sensual meaning—and she would have to return it. So, an idea popped into her mind.

Why not return a tender gift with a tender thank you?

Softly walking up to him, she stood fully up and delicately kissed him on the cheek, causing his face to fully blush the deepest pigment crimson red, and as she pulled away, he solicitously adjusted his glasses, hoping to hide his eyes from the obvious love behind them. His heart anxiously palpitated—the very thought of her kissing him, even if not on the lips, set his nerves afire with an inexplicable joy.

Dorky as he was, yet would never admit, he already began anticipating the plans for next year's birthday gift.

"Thank you again, Ishida-kun. This is really sweet—I swear I won't ever forget it. I'll keep these safe forever. I promise."

"I-It...was nothing, r-really...I..."

Uryu gulped nervously once more, touching the cheek that she tenderly pecked. Every one of his hairs stood on end as the previous scenario played through his mind. It was a good feeling. Even though love wasn't always returned, Uryu still saw that he may still have a chance yet.

_Indeed. Maybe next year..._

"Oh, stop being so modest!" She giggled as he habitually adjusted his glasses, "You know it was a wonderful gift, and I really do love it. Thank you, Ishida-kun. Thank you."

He glanced over at the bags sitting at the steps and with his heart still rapidly beating, his old fashioned chivalry kicked in as the anxiety drained out.

"Would you like any help? All of your things appear rather," he paused as his dark blue eyes scanned all of her gifts, "_hefty_."

Orihime smiled up at him, and shook her head positively.

"That would be wonderful, Ishida-kun! We can talk some more—oh! And I can introduce you to Tree-san...and then we can introduce little Pinky-chan and Purple-sensei as well!"

She held up her birth flowers—her birthday present from him—signifying that the newly named _Pinky-chan_ and _Purple-sensei_ were her two flowers. He couldn't help but chuckle at her cute harebrainedness as they both walked over, and picked up her packs.

They lived near each other, so distance wasn't a problem, and they steadily made their way. Uryu carried her two full bags, while she slung one over her shoulder—she held his little two-flower bouquet with both of her hands delicately. Every so often she'd look down at her gift, and then back up.

Lightheartedly, he grinned as his navy blue eyes shined brilliantly.

"Inoue-san." Uryu caught her immediate attention and she looked over at him happily and with her own toothy smile, "Happy birthday."

* * *

**Yeah! It's Orihime's birthday! Woo! I have a deep sense of respect for her, since I watched that episode where she's about to "betray" everyone and leave for Hueco Mundo (I swear, watching it **_**is **_**so different from reading it—the music and stuff catches the moment), and when she was about to totally eat *makeout* with Ichigo's unconscious face, and she stopped and held herself back, I was like, "Yeah! I finally respect you now—Orihime, you're so cool!" **

**But, she needs to get with Ishida anyway, haha. **Please review! Would be greatly appreciated! Please feel free to point out typos, flaws (WordPerfect fails at life), grammatical errors, etc, and thanks for reading! **It's not necessarily my best work...I dunno it seems sort of superficial since I only had about a day to write this...but I just had to spew it out :3**


End file.
